Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 154

Like mother, like son.

Edric let out a bitter smile.

‘……She probably never regretted it, not even in her final moments.’

Looking back, he realized he had seen this coming.

Ever since returning from the three northern strongholds, his body had gradually weakened to a noticeable degree, and controlling his strength had become increasingly difficult.

That was why he had urged the pharmaceutical guild to speed up the development of a cure for Pherus.

And that had been before Lobel had even confessed to him about the disease.

Even knowing there was some connection between them, Edric never turned away from Lobel.

There was no guarantee that separating from her would cure the illness, so he never once thought of leaving her side.

Now, standing at the precipice of the unknown, he felt neither resentment nor fear.

He had chosen Lobel, despite all the ominous signs that had preceded it.

So, no matter what truth lay ahead, he was ready to face it.

‘……Right now, uncovering the truth is what matters most.’

With that resolve, Edric opened the book to its first page.

On the worn-out paper, elegant handwriting—sophisticated even by today’s standards—filled the page.

The southern seas of Terua were cruel once again today.

A fierce sea breeze tore away the hat my father had given me, and the sailors’ curses rang so loud they felt like they would split my ears.

Already, more than ten ships of the fourth expedition have been wrecked and swept away to who knows where.

Because of a king’s foolish greed for eternal life, countless merchants have had to make the sea their grave.

Does the Forest of the Gods truly exist?

It seemed the first guild master had an exceptional talent for sailing.

Beyond the sharp criticisms, there were also detailed records of navigation.

Weather conditions, sea routes, and coordinates were meticulously documented, organized by date.

As Edric carefully examined the entries, he reached the records from the second week.

There, large letters stood out on the page.

The King of Terua was not wrong.

At last, I, Lazlith of the tenth expedition, have discovered the domain of Dif.

 

 

****

 

 

“Hey, wake up, Nathan! Please, get up! After everything we went through to get here!”

Lazlith, who had been desperately slapping her fallen comrade’s cheek, finally collapsed onto the sand in exhaustion.

In front of her, deep within the dense forest, stood a colossal tree—the very symbol of Dif’s stronghold.

But reaching it was impossible.

Their food had long run out, and there was no drinkable water.

All her companions had perished, and her mental strength was all but depleted.

She had fought tooth and nail to survive alone until now, but this could very well be the end.

A meaningless death, without even a gravestone to mark it.

“…Damn it.”

Her curse, tinged with the threat of tears, was swallowed by the crashing waves behind her.

Lazlith clenched her teeth.

Even the sound of the ocean was beginning to make her sick.

She wiped her eyes with the inside of her arm, where the sand hadn’t clung, and forced herself upright.

Swaying on unsteady legs, she summoned the last dregs of her strength, shaking the sand from her long silver hair and boots.

Now, all that remained was sheer determination.

“Lazlith, Lazlith. Get it together. After all that suffering, you can’t just die without seeing something.”

She refused to be just another casualty of the king’s foolish greed for immortality.

Even if she was going to die here…

‘Yeah. I’ve come this far. I have to see something before I go.’

Summoning her final reserves of strength, Lazlith attempted to step into the forest.

But even that proved impossible.

The place was like a labyrinth.

‘…I’m just going in circles.’

She tried marking the trees with her dagger, but even that took more strength than she had left.

Dehydration was setting in.

“Hah… hah…”

She usually loved sunny weather, but right now, the blazing sun overhead felt like her worst enemy.

With her back pressed against a palm-like tree, she sank to the ground.

Her vision swam.

At least she hadn’t been torn apart by a wild animal.

But at this rate, she really was going to die.

Just as she was struggling to steady her gasping breaths, something golden flickered in the distance.

‘…A person?’

Lazlith forced her dry, sand-choked throat to work.

“Help… Please… help…”

But the figure didn’t react as if it understood.

Or… was it even human?

Was it some wild beast with golden fur?

The golden figure simply looked down at her for a moment—then turned and left.

Even as she lost consciousness, Lazlith managed to curse.

‘That stingy bastard…’

That night, by sheer luck, rain fell, allowing her to survive.

And it wasn’t long before she discovered the truth—

That “thing” had been a child of Dif.

 

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

Lazlith, leaning against the wreckage of a shattered ship, lifted her head from recording the past week’s events.

In the distance, a figure stood watching her. It had the shape of a human child.

At first, she had been uncertain whether this was the “Dif” she had heard of, but by now, she was convinced.

No matter how much she cursed or begged, there was no response—it was safe to assume this creature did not understand human language.

So it’s true that Difs take on human forms…

But if it could pass by a dying person without a shred of sympathy, then all those records claiming Difs were as kind-hearted as elves might not be so reliable after all.

Lazlith found herself deeply annoyed at the child who had ignored her plight.

Yet, even if the child turned away from her, she had no choice but to rely on it.

At this moment, that creature was the only thing she could count on.

Desperately, she scanned her surroundings.

…It’d be great if I could spot an adult Dif instead, but I don’t see anyone.

Regardless, she had to survive today.

Only then could she try communicating with this distant observer, or—if that failed—beg an adult Dif for help in securing a way home.

With renewed determination, Lazlith forced herself to her feet and ventured into the forest, swiftly gathering eggs from a tree near the entrance.

Eating just a few of them gave her a much-needed boost of energy.

…Delicious.

Perhaps because this was the heart of the Dif domain, the eggs were rich and full of flavor.

Afterward, she gathered fruit—abundant, as one would expect from a land said to be blessed by the gods.

These were the sweetest and most flavorful fruits she had ever tasted.

The child continued to observe from a distance, showing no sign of needing food.

So the rumors were true… Difs don’t eat, do they?

Crunch.

Biting into a fruit, Lazlith suddenly felt like a caged animal being watched at a menagerie. It was infuriating.

When she managed to catch a fish, she scaled and grilled it. Fortunately, she still had some spices and sugar left.

And that was when the child, who had been utterly indifferent to her curses and pleas, reacted for the first time.

…It’s coming closer?

The distance between them shrank just enough for Lazlith to gauge the child’s height.

Though she had long wished for it to approach, she found herself unexpectedly flustered.

Why all of a sudden…? Ah! Right! Difs have a keen sense of smell!

Hurriedly, she scattered some pungent spices around her.

These were rare on this continent.

Even in the lush lands of the Difs, something like this was unlikely to be common—only the people of certain regions knew how to properly ferment and process it for use.

That day, Lazlith finally got a clear look at the child’s eyes.

…A real Dif.

Golden hair, striking green eyes.

The exact shade of the World Tree’s leaves—the sacred tree said to be the symbol of the Difs.

It was a purer, more vivid green than even the finest emeralds she had ever seen.

Anyone would be captivated by such a face, but Lazlith remained tense.

After all, this was the same being who had coldly ignored her life-or-death struggle.

She figured she’d probably never trust it completely.

Yet, even as she remained wary, she was acutely aware of the child standing amidst the nearby foliage, watching her intently.

…Maybe I should try speaking to it again.

The child had never responded to curses, pleas, or coaxing.

Eventually, even Lazlith had grown exhausted and stopped trying.

But today, she had a good feeling.

She was glad she had used such strong-smelling spices.

Holding up the grilled fish on a stick, she offered it toward the child.

“Do you want to eat?”

“Do you want to eat?”

“…Did you just repeat after me?”

“Did you just repeat after me?”

She wondered if it was mocking her, but its face remained expressionless.

That same cold, unreadable stare.

And that’s when she realized something crucial.

Difs… can’t speak human language.

Then again, she didn’t understand the Dif language either.

So… what now?

She couldn’t afford to let the child leave just yet.

She had to keep trying to communicate, to gain its favor somehow.

To demonstrate, she took a bite of the fish herself before offering a fresh one.

The child, having watched carefully, mimicked her movement—and then, as if it had understood, finally approached.

…It worked!

It took a bite—then promptly set the fish down.

Judging by the unimpressed look in its eyes, it didn’t seem to enjoy it much.

Still, just piquing its curiosity was a success.

Lazlith felt a wave of relief.

From that day on, she continued trying to communicate.

“You, me, us, everyone…”

“You, me.”

The child immediately grasped the concept.

It pointed at her, then at itself.

Then, mimicking her earlier words, it extended both arms outward in a circular shape.

“Us, everyone.”

At last, a glimmer of hope.

Lazlith excitedly pointed to herself.

“Me, Lazlith.”

“…Lazlith?”

The child absorbed every word like a sponge.

Its intelligence was staggering.

As expected of a Dif, it seemed to know everything about the island.

But strangely, it lacked any visible emotions.

It was as if it found everything in the world… utterly mundane.

Like an exquisite doll, beautiful yet lifeless.

Lazlith worked tirelessly to win its favor.

She had to go home.

By now, she no longer cared about the king’s obsession with immortality or the rewards for her discovery.

There was no way she would survive another journey through those terrifying waves to reach this place again.

If she wanted to leave, she needed this child—or better yet, an adult Dif or even their leader—to help her.

“Are there any adults around?”

“…….”

“Could I… meet them?”

The child, for the first time, seemed annoyed.

It did not answer.